Language goals
In this unit students learn to talk about the weather and talk about what people are doing.
New language
What are you doing? I'm watching TV
What's he doing? He's playing basketball.
What's she doing? She's cooking.
What are they doing? They're studying.
How's the weather? It's raining.
Section A
Write the question. What are you doing? on the board.Read the question and ask the class to repeat it. Then act out an activity students are already familiar with, point to the question and have students repeat it. Answer the question using the target language.
For example, you might pretend to be reading a book,playing soccer, playing the guitar or writing your name.When the class asks, What are you doing?, you answer,I'm reading a book, and so forth.
1 a This activity introduces the key vocabulary.
Focus attention on the cities in the picture. Ask, What s the weather like here? If they can't answer, supply theword and ask the class to repeat it. Say a sentence or two about each kind of weather. For example, It's raining.Is it raining here today?
Point out the numbered list of words. Say each one and ask students to repeat the words again.
Then ask students to match each word with one of the cities in the picture. Say, Write the letter of each city next to one of the ivords. Point out the sample answer.
Check the answers.
1 b This activity gives students practice in understanding the target language in spoken conversation.
Play the recording the first time. Students only listen.Say, You will hear four different conversations. Each one is about the weather in a different city. Point to each city in the picture as it comes up on the tape.
Play the recording a second time. Ask students to write the name of the city in the picture of its weather. Say, The first one has been done for you. Beijing is written in the picture of sunny weather. It is sunny in Beijing.
Correct the answers.
1 c This activity provides guided oral practice using the target language.
Point out the example conversation. Ask two students to read the dialogue to the class.
Say, Now work with a partner. Make your own conversations about the weather in these five places.
As the pairs talk, move around the room monitoring their work. Offer language or pronunciation support as needed.
Ask several pairs to present their conversations to the class.
2a This activity gives students practice in understanding the target language in spoken conversation.
Point to the four pictures. Ask students to tell what each person is doing in each picture. For example, This boy is talking on the phone. This man is playing basketball. Supply vocabulary words as needed.
Play the recording the first time. Students only listen.
Play the recording a second time. This time, ask students to listen to the recording and number the pictures 1 through 4 to show what each person is doing.
Correct the answers.
2b This activity provides listening practice using the target language.
Point out the list of names and the list of activities.Ask a different student to read each list to the class.
Say, Now I will play the recording again. This time,please match each name with an activity. Write the letter of an activity in front of each name. Point out the sample answer for number 1.
Play the recording and have students fill in the rest of the answers. ,
Correct the answers.
2c This activity provides guided oral practice using the target language.
Call attention to the four people in the picture in activity 2a. Ask students to say something about each person. Guide students to use the words and phrases playing basketball, cooking, ivatching TV, and playing computer games.
Point out the sample conversation in the speech bubbles and have a pair of students read it to the class.
Say, Now please work with a partner. Make conversations like this one. Talk about the people in the I pictures. As students work in pairs, move around the room monitoring progress and offering assistance, if needed.
Ask some pairs to present their conversations to the class.
3a This activity introduces more key vocabulary.
Call attention to the faces. Ask students to point to and describe each face using whatever vocabulary they can.Help students to identify how each person is feeling. For example, ask a student. Look at this face. Is it happy? Is it unhappy?
Then point to the four words. Say the words and ask students to repeat each one. Use your tone of voice and facial expressions to reinforce the meaning of each. Add your own simple explanations of what each one means.For example: Not bad. This means something is not very good, but it's also not very bad. It's in the middle.
After that, ask students to match each numbered phrase with a face by writing the letter of each face in the blank in front of the correct phrase.As students work, move around the room answering
questions as needed.
Check the answers.
3b This activity provides oral practice using the target language.
Point out the conversation in the large picture and ask two students to read it to the class. Ask students to explain what How's it going? means. (It is similar to How are you? or How is everything?)
Ask students to practice the conversation in pairs.Move around the room monitoring their progress.
Then call attention to the example in the small speech bubbles. Have two students read it to the class.
Say, Now we'll change some of the words and make our own conversations. We can use our own names. We can give true answers or we can make up answers.
Ask pairs of students to make up their own conversations. Move around the room offering language support as needed.
Ask some pairs to present their conversations to the class.
4. This game provides oral practice using the target language.
Say,Now let's work in pairs again. One student looks at the picture on page 85 and the other looks at the picture on page 87. Please don't look at your part ner's picture.
Say, Each picture has the same people in it, but they are doing different things. Take turns talking about what the people are doing in your picture. If I am student A, I will say. In my picture it is sunny. Guide one of the students Bs to respond. In my picture it is raining.
As students work, move around the room, monitoring progress and offering assistance as needed.
Section B
New language
More words used to describe weather:cold, hot, cool, warm, humid
Additional materials to bring to class:
weather map from an English language newspaper
1 a This activity introduces more key vocabulary.
Focus attention on the five pictures. Ask students to tell what the weather is like in each place, if they can. If not, supply the word and ask the class to repeat it. Say a sentence or two about each kind of weather. It's cold in this picture. Is it cold here today?
Point out the numbered list of words. Say each one and ask students to repeat the words again.
Then ask students to match each word with one of the pictures. Say, Write the letter of each picture next to one of the words. Point out the sample answer.
Check the answers.
1 b This activity provides oral practice using the target language.
Call attention to the example in the speech bubbles.Read the conversation with a student.
Ask students to work in pairs. Have students ask and answer questions about the weather in the pictures in activity la.
2a This activity provides listening and writing practice using the target language.
Read the headings on the chart to the class. Point out the answer blanks.
Say, Listen to this conversation between Sam and Maria. Listen carefully to their questions and answers.
Play the tape the first time. Students only listen. Play the tape again and have students write their answers.
Play the tape again and have students write their answers. Say, This time, please write the answers Maria and Sam give to the question "How's it going?"You may wish to play the tape more than once at this point.
Correct the answers.
2b This activity provides more listening and writing practice using the target language.
Point to and read the second two headings on the chart: What are you doing? How's the weather?
Ask students to listen to the recording again and write the answers to these two questions in the blanks in the chart.
Play the recording. Students fill in the blanks.
Correct the answers.
2c This activity provides guided listening and speaking I practice using the target language.
Point out the example in the speech bubbles. Ask two students to read it to the class.
Point out the three questions in 2a. Ask individual students each question and repeat their answers. Accept any reasonable answers.
Say, Now work with a partner. Make your own conversations. Student A is Maria. Student B is Sam. Athey talk, move around the room monitoring their work.Offer language support as needed.
3a This activity provides reading practice using the target language.
Call attention to the speech bubble and the picture.Ask students to say where the reporter is. Ask them to tell what they know about Egypt.
Read the speech bubble to the class, or ask a student to do so. Answer any questions students may have. Use drawings on the board and/or translation to clarify the meanings of any new vocabulary words.
Ask students to work alone. Say, Underline the words in the speech bubble that say what people are doing. Then circle the words that describe the weather. Two examples are done for you.
3b This activity provides reading and writing practice using the target language.
Draw attention to the pictures of France and the description below. Read the description to the class or ask a student to do so. Say the word blank each time you come to a blank line.
Answer any questions students may have about the new words. Use drawings on the board and/or translation to clarify the meanings of any new vocabulary words.
Ask students to work alone. Have students fill in the blanks. Point out the sample answer and read that sentence.
Correct the answers.
3c This activity provides writing practice using the target
language.
Ask one or two students to describe the weather in their home town, and to say what outdoor activities people there like to do (e.g. playing football, flying kites, fishing).
Ask students to work alone. As they work, move around the class monitoring progress and offering help as necessary. Provide the students with any new vocabulary theyneed (e.g. for describing activities), or encourage them to use a dictionary.
Ask several students to read their reports to the class.
4 This survey provides listening, speaking, and writing practice using the target language.
Call attention to the dialogue in the speech bubbles.Ask two students to read it to the class. Ask other students,What do you do when it's raining?
Substitute another type of weather for "raining" and ask other students what they do. Accept all reasonable answers and write each one on the board.
Introduce the use of present tense in both halves of answers such as, When it's sunny, I go to the beach.(See grammar note.)
Now ask students to interview their classmates. Ask each student to choose one type of weather and ask as many classmates as possible what they do in that kind of weather. Remind students to write down the answers.
Ask several students to read their questions and answers to the class. Write any new vocabulary items on the board and discuss these words. Students may wish to copy some of the words onto their notebooks.
Alternative: If you do not want students to get up and walk around the classroom, then ask them to do this activity in groups of four.